Section insulator



May 2, 1944- A. J. KNIGHT SECTION INSULATOR Filed May 8, 1943 3noe ntor.

ARTHUR J. KNIGHT (Ittorneg Patented May 2, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SECTION INSULATOR Arthur J. Knight, Mansfield, Ohio, assignor to The Ohio Brass Company, Mansfield, Ohio, a corporation of New Jersey Application May 8, 1943, Serial No. 486,471

14 Claims.

My invention relates to section insulators for use in sectionalizing trolley wires and refers more particularly to the bridging or runner member of such devices.

One object of my invention is to provide a section insulator in which the bridging member is of a non-combustible insulating material which will withstand the are produced when a current collector passes from the trolley wire onto the bridging member with current on.

Another object of my invention is to produce a bridging member having. a guiding portion of vitreous material.

Another object of my invention is. to produce a bridging member in which the vitreous guiding member is cushioned or. protected from vi-' brations, shocks or jars as much as possible.

Another object of my invention is to provide a bridging member in which the vitreous portion is held in place should it be cracked or broken.

Another object of my invention is to produce a bridging member in which the individual parts of which it is comprised are mechanically interlocked.

Another object. of my invention is to provide a bridging member in which the individual parts are united as by cementing.

My invention resides in the new and useful construction, combination and relation of the various parts shown in the accompanying drawing and hereinafter described.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side View in elevation of a section insulator using my improved bridging member.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side view of the bridging member in partial, section.

Fig. 3 is an end view of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

Fig. dis a section corresponding to that of Fig. 5 but showing a modified relation between the parts thereof.

The runner "or bridging member of section insulators have in the past been made of wood, insulating fiber, rubber, etc., but all of these are subject to burning and excessive wear.

By using the guiding portion of the bridging member under proper conditions it may be made of a frangible material such as porcelain, stoneware, glass, etc., especially a boron-silica glass known to the trade as Pyrex.

Such materials being frangible they cannot safely and practicably be used alone as the bridging member since they are subject to more or less pounding, vibration, shock and jars.

Therefore I interpose between the guiding portion of the bridging member and the other parts of the section insulator, means which will absorb such blows, vibrations, shocks, etc. To accomplish this I employ means made of rubber which is either yielding, flexible, resilient or elastic, or

any combination of these properties. Rubberis non-metallic and also an insulator.

I may also use as the absorbing means, other material such as any of the so-called synthetic rubbers, or Duprene, neoprene, etc.

In the preferred embodiment of my invention I provide a pair of end members I of metal which are held in spaced and. insulated relation by thetension member 2 and compression member 3.

The end members are provided with means to receive the trolley wires 4 and which are held in place by set screws 5. Bridging the gap between the end members is a bridging or runner member 6 which guides a current collector from one wire to the other wire. The lower edge 1 of the bridging member 6 is in alignment with the lower or running edge 8 of the trolley wires 4.

The bridging member 6 is secured in place by clips 9, whose lower edges are inalignment with the edges 1 and 8 of the bridging member'and trolley wires 4 respectively. 5

The clips are secured to theend members by securing means). By removing the securing means It), the clips -9 may beremoved and this will permit removing or replacing the bridging member 6. l

A section insulator of. the general type shown in Fig. 1 is morefully described in detail in Patent 2,187,135 issued January 16, 1940. g

Referring now to Figs. 2 to 5 inclusive, I have shown in detail the construction of the bridging member 6. This comprises thev guiding portion ll of such materials as described above and the' cushioning portion I2 of such materials .as described above.

The portion II has a lower exposed portio l3 with a contact or running surface I for the current collector. 1

The portion II is provided with a part M which is slightly shorter than the portion l3 and of less thickness. The cooperating side faces of one or both portions 1 I and II are provided with serrations, dentations, crenations, etc., which interlock with like or other means on the other portion.

The portion 12 is a holder or receptacle-like part arranged to receive the part M of the por-' tion I I. The portion l2 being formed of a yielding, resilient, flexible or elastic non-metallic material, it may be distorted sufficiently to receive the part 14 of the portion II. The inner side surfaces of the portion I2 is preferably formed in like manner as that of the portion l l and thereby securely interlocks with the portion H and the portion l2 being yielding, resilient, flex ible or elastic or acombination of these properties, it tends to snugly and securely fit the part I4.

The portion i2 is provided with end means which interlock with the clips I9 and is thereby held in position between the end members I.

In the art of rubber manipulation it is possible.

to mould into one piece, rubber mixes of differs.

ent compositions and thereby have differentparts of an article possess different degrees of hardness or resiliency, etc., and therefore the end portions l5 may be stiffer than other parts of the portion l2. 7 V

The portions H and I2 may be formed without the interlocking feature and these parts may be held together as a unit by cementing the adjacent facestogether as in Fig. 6 in which i6 is a layer of cement such as is well known to those versed in the rubber and analogous arts.

It is also possible for those skilled in the manufacture of rubberproducts to vulcanize the portion I! to the portion I I under heat and pressure at the time the rubber composition is moulded to shape, by properly preparing the surface of the portion H I thereby forming a vulcanized surface 'uni'on' This provides annitary bridging member in which the portion H is not replaceable in case of accidental breakage.

I am'aware that my invention lends itself to modifications which will .be' apparent to those skilled in the art,-therefore1' wish tobe limited only by my claims.-

Iclaimz 1 7 I 1. The combination with a section insulator fora trolley conductor, of a bridging member of trolley conductor, of a bridging member to guide a current collector'facross the device, the said bridging member comprising a vitreouspart having an edge portion to. engage with and'guide the current collector and yieldable insulating means enclosing the vitreous part except for the said edge portion and means associated with the bridging member whereby the memberv is held in position. r I q 3. A section insulatorcomprising end members, each provided with means to attach a trolley wire thereto, means interposed between the. end members to'hold them inspaced and insulated relation, and abridging member of insulating materials 'interposedbetween the end members, 'andfhaving an edge aligned with the contact 'edges of the trolleyfwires and adapted to be engaged by and guide a current collector, from one end member to the other end member, the

tion of resilient materialin which the elongated portion is positioned with its guiding edge exposed and .whereby the elongated portion is supported adjacent its ends.

4. A section insulator comprising in combination end members, each member provided with means to receive and hold a trolley wire end, means interposed between the members to hold them in spaced and insulatedv relation, and a bridging member interposed between the end members and having an edge adapted to be enaged by and to guide a current collector from one end member to the other end member, the

bridging member comprising an elongated portion of vitreous material having its guiding edge aligned with the guiding edges on the trolley wires and a receptacle-like portion in which the vitreous portion is positioned, the last said portion being formed of resilient rubber.

5. A section insulator comprising in combination end members, each member provided with means to receive and hold a trolley wire end, means interposed between the members to hold them in spaced and insulated relation, and a bridging member of insulating materials interposed between the end members and having an edge adapted to be engaged by and to guide a current collector from one'end member to the other end member, the bridging member comprising an elongated portion of frangible" mate'- rial having its guiding edge aligned. with the guiding edges onv the trolley wires 'and'a'receptacle-like portion in which the vitreous portion is positioned, the last said portion being formed of a flexible, resilient material.

, 6. A sectioninsulator comprising in combine) tion, end members, each member provided with means'to receive and hold a, trolley'wire with its lower edge exposedto guide a current collector, means interposed between the end members and secured thereto to hold the members in's'paced' and insulated relation, a bridging member of vitreous material interposed between theend ,mem-

bers and having an edge to receive and guide the current collector, said edge being in alignment with the guidingedges of the trolley Wires and insulating means interposed between the. vitre-' ous member and the adjacent parts of the section insulator to absorb jars and vibrations and, to protect the vitreous member from injury and whereby the vitreous member is supported.

7. A section insulator comprising in combina tion, end members, each memberprovided with means to receive and hold a trolley wire, means interposed between the end members and secured sulating means being so constructed and re-" lated to the vitreous member that in case of breakage of the vitreous member the parts thereof will be held in their normal relation.

8. A bridging member for a line section insulator comprising in combination an elongated portion of vitreous material having an edge exposed to be engaged by andto guide a current collector, a receptacle portion enclosing said vitreous portion except the said exposed edge, the

said receptacle portion formed from flexible, re-

silient or elastic rubber and having means whereby the bridging member may be secured in position in said section insulator.

9. A bridging member of insulating materials for a line section insulator comprising in combination an elongated portion of frangible material having a longitudinal edge to be engaged by and to guide a current collector, a holder portion formed from resilient material capable of cushioning the vitreous portion and absorbing jar and vibration to prevent injury to the elongated portion and means projecting longitudinally beyond the ends of the elongated portion whereby the bridging member may be secured in position in said section insulator, the said projecting means being formed with less resiliency than the balance of the holder.

10. A bridging member for a line section insulator comprising in combination an elongated bar of vitreous material having an exposed longitudinal edge to guide a current collector, a re ceptacle of insulating material capable of absulating material to receive the vitreous bar and capable of absorbing vibrations, the vitreous. bar positioned within the receptacle-like means except for the exposed edge and means on the enclosed faces of the vitreous member cooperating with means on the adjacent face of the receptacle to hold the parts in normal relation.

12. A bridging member for a line section insulator comprising in combination an elongated bar formed of vitreous material having an exposed longitudinal edge to guide a current collector, a holder of insulating material capable of absorbing vibrations, the vitreous bar positioned within the holder except for the exposed edge and means on the elongated bar interlocking with means on the holder to secure the parts in operative relation.

13. A bridging member for a line section insulator comprising in combination a rigid elongated bar formed of vitreous material having an exposed longitudinal edge to guide a current colleotor, a receptacle of resilient insulating material capable of absorbing vibrations, the vitreous bar positioned within the receptacle except for the exposed edge and means on the elongated bar cooperating with means on the receptacle whereby the parts are normally held together but separable at will.

14. A bridging member for use in an overhead trolley device comprising in combination an elongated bar of vitreous material having an exposed longitudinal edge to guide a current collector, a holder member of resilient insulating material formed by vulcanization and capable of cushioning shocks and vibrations to which the elongated bar may be subjected, the elongated bar being positioned within the holder member except for the exposed edge, the holder being vulcanized to the elongated bar whereby a surface union is formed between the parts.

ARTHUR J. KNIGHT. 

